The typical German farm DE360OW
in the context of its region
Author: Kathrin Strohm
May 2010
Arable farming in Germany
Land use in Germany 2008
Agricultural land use in Germany
Agricultural land use in Germany
18.0
Other
8.3%
Settlements and roads
11.8%
16.0
12.0
Agricultural land
34.0%
%
Water bodies
2.4%
<= 5
Land surface:
357,111 m²
8.0
6.0
4.0
grassland
winter rapeseed
winter wheat
rye
other
corn
barley
sugarbeet
silage corn
potatoes
%
0.0
1993
1996
1999
2002
2005
2008
<= 5
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt 2010
10-<= 15
15-<= 20
20-<= 25
> 25
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt 2010
10.0
2.0
5 <= 10
no data
Percentage share of wheat acreage
per arable land in 2007
14.0
Mio ha
Percentage share of rapeseed acreage
per arable land in 2007
Land use in Germany 2008
Grassland
13.4%
Forest
30.1%
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt 2010
Germany is on position 62 in the world when
it comes to land size. Excluding grassland,
121,370 km 2 of fertile land are available for
agricultural production.
5 <= 10
Leaving grassland aside, 8 important crops
can be identified which over time cover
more agricultural land in Germany. In 1993
they made up 72 % while in 2008 they
amounted to 82 %; winter wheat is the crop
with highest acreage, followed by barley
and silage corn.
10-<= 15
15-<= 20
20-<= 25
25-<= 30
30-<= 35
> 35
no data
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt 2010
The typical farm DE360OW in the region Ostwestfalen
Farm classification
Ostwestfalen (2007)
Farm classification Ostwestfalen (2007) -
Farm structure - Ostwestfalen (2007)
- based on gross
shares
based on margin
gross margin
shares
Farm structure - Ostwestfalen (2007)
Three major farm types
can be distinguished in
TF
Ostwestfalen:
1. Specialized cash
crop farms represent
with 34 % the largest
Cash crop
Fodder
Crops &
Others
group of farms and
production
animals
cultivate 37 % of the
Type of farm
agricultural land in
% total farms % total agricultural land
the area.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt 2010
2. 27 % of farms gener ate their gross margin predominantly through fodder crops used
either for dairy cows or cattle.
3. Further 30 % of land is cultivated by mixed farms engaged in crop
and livestock production.
4. The remaining group of other farms is either specialized in horticul ture or intensive livestock production.
Since animal husbandry is of great importance in the region, the
DE360OW farm was designed as a cash crop farm with substantial
share of hog production.
64 % of farms in OstNumber of farms
westfalen generate the
% of farms
majority of their house% of farming area
hold income outside
agriculture. The remaining 36 % of farms
for which agriculture
TF
is the major income
source, cultivate 70 %
0 - 50
50 - 100
> 100
of the land. Their averSize of farms in ha
age size is 59 ha per
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt 2010
farm. The farm size
structure reflects part of this picture. 77 % of all farms in the region
have less than 50 ha but on the other hand farm only 33 % of the
farming area. The larger farms of more than 100 ha make up only
7 % of the farming population however work likewise on 33 % of the
agricultural land.
One of the goals of agri benchmark was to establish a typical farm
(TF) that can exist in the long-run given the current and future framework conditions. Therefore, a rather large farm with 360 ha agricultural land was considered.
The elevation of
200
20
the region rang180
18
160
16
es from river
140
14
valleys (25 m)
120
12
up to 800 m
100
10
80
8
in hilly areas.
60
6
The climate is
40
4
20
2
moderate with
0
0
monthly averJan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
age temperaPrecipitation (mm)
Duration of sunshine (h)
Temperature (°C)
tures from
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst 2010
1-17°C across
the year. Total rainfall during the year accounts for nearly
900 mm. Precipitation is rather evenly distributed ranging between 60 and 90 mm over the months. Duration of sunshine
is highest during the summer period between May and August when sun can shine up to 200 hours during one month.
22
°C
h, mm
220
90 %
80 %
70 %
60 %
50 %
40 %
30 %
20 %
10 %
0%
Comparison
of average yields
Comparison
of average
yields
Gross margin
comparison
Gross margin
comparison (€/ha)
The following
DE360OW: avg. 2007-08
8.0
graph refers
District
Detmold:
avg.
2006/07-2008/09,
KTBL
7.0
to the crops
6.0
grown by the
5.0
typical farm. In
4.0
3.0
all 5 crops, the
2.0
agri benchmark
1.0
farm obtains
0.0
slightly higher
Winter
Winter
Sugarbeet Corn silage
Winter
wheat
barley
(*10)
(*10)
rapeseed
yields than the
regional averSource: KTBL 2010, agri benchmark 2010
age which is calculated across all farm types and sizes. This is understandable since the district Detmold 1 has a rather heterogeneous
structure with many farms not specialized in cash crop farming or facing less favorable climatic/natural conditions.
Regarding ecoDE360OW: avg. 2007-2008
1,600
nomic terms,
District Detmold: avg. 2006/07-2007/08, KTBL
1,400
gross margins
1,200
(revenue – di1,000
rect costs) are
800
compared. For
600
comparison the
400
standard gross
200
margins made
0
available by
Sugarbeets Corn silage
Wheat
Barley
Rapeseed
KTBL for the
Source: KTBL 2010, agri benchmark 2010
district Detmold
in North Rhine-Westphalia (average of the years 2006/072007/08) were considered. Except rapeseed the agri benchmark farm has always higher gross margins, regarding sugar
beets (+ 30 %) and barley (+ 40 %) even substantially higher.
The reason behind this are higher yields (see left) as well as
higher market revenues.
9.0
1,800
1
Euro/ha
Mean climate data 1978-2008 Ostwestfalen
Mean climate
data 1978 - 2008 Ostwestfalen
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
t/ha
Region “Ostwestfalen” (green shaded area, see
map) in northwest Germany consists of 6 counties: Herford, Bielefeld, Lippe, Höxter, MindenLübbecke (only to 30 % since hilly) and Paderborn (only to 30 % since low land close to river).
Number of farms
40 %
35 %
30 %
25 %
20 %
15 %
10 %
5%
0%
District Detmold contains the 6 counties of the agri benchmark region “Ostwestfalen” plus Gütersloh.
Description of the typical farm
First rotation DE360OW
General information
Region
Ostwestfalen, northwest Germany
Type of farm
Mainly cash crop
Other enterprise
Hog production with 890,000 Euro revenue/ year
Legal status
Family farm
Tillage system
Intensive tillage, with conventional plowing
Owned land;
80 ha; 22 %
Farm manager
Part-time
Natural conditions
Relief (hills, upland, plains)
Plains
Elevation (m above sea level)
120
Soil type
Sandy loam
Climate
Moderate – maritim
Main growing season
April - October
Average precipitation per year (mm) 850
Rainfall distribution
Evenly
Fieldwork days
200 - 250
Duration of sunshine or cumulative
temperature
Between 40 and 200 hours per month, depending
on the season
Labor input Labor costs
(h/year)
(Euro/h)
Rented land;
280 ha; 78 %
The major share (78 %) of
the land DE360OW cultivates
is rented. Costs for rented
land amount to 400 Euro/ha
for old and 500 Euro/ha for
new renting contracts. On
average renting contracts are
signed for 10 years.
2,000
22.5
500
12
With 2,500 hours per year, performed by the farm manager and
his part-time worker, the farm
has on average 7 working hours
available per ha. The labor costs
assumed for the farm manager
are 87 % higher than for his employee.
DE360OW performs its
cash crop farming in
Corn silage
Sugarbeet
two rotations – one with
sugar beets and one
with rapeseeds. Besides
Wheat after
Winter wheat
wheat
these specific crops, winter wheat dominates in
both rotations with 50 %
since it is grown twice. Wheat which comes after
wheat realizes a slightly
lower yield. All crops are
harvested by specialized
Wheat after
Winter
wheat
barley
contractors in order to
minimize costs for harvest machinery.
Winter wheat
Winter
rapeseed
Second rotation DE360OW